In my neighborhood in Nashville, Tenn., having a trim green lawn is the norm. 

So whenever I stumble upon a house that’s got a lush garden full of native plants instead, I’m in awe. Not only does it look great, with all those blossoming flowers and greenery, it’s a haven for bees, birds and butterflies, too.

It always makes me wonder: How in the heck does one do this? And would I ever get the gumption to convert my own lawn?  

This week, we worked with Harvest Public Media reporter Celia Llopis-Jepsen to create a step-by-step guide on how to replace your turf with a garden. It’s part of Climate Solutions Week, an annual NPR series on how communities are moving forward on climate solutions. 

Well, I learned that turning your lawn into a garden is easier and more affordable than you think.

Bonus tip: The case for building a rain garden

This section, exclusive to Life Kit's newsletter, is by Celia Llopis-Jepsen

Feeling extra confident? Consider designing your flower bed so it slopes downward in the middle. A shallow bowl like this is called a rain garden and it can capture rain from your roof, driveway or lawn and let it percolate slowly underground.

Rains are getting heavier across much of the U.S. because of climate change. This means more water falls on our neighborhoods faster.

“That can lead to flash flooding, which can have devastating effects on both infrastructure as well as people,” says Jeffrey Popp, director of restoration at Anne Arundel Watershed Stewards Academy near Annapolis, Md. “These rain gardens on a smaller scale are not necessarily preventing a ton of flash flooding, but if everybody had a rain garden in their front yard, it could have a significant impact.”

Rain gardens need to be designed properly so that the rain they collect drains into the ground within a day or two. This will avoid keeping standing water around that would breed mosquitoes.

Cities and counties will sometimes reimburse you to install rain gardens.

Pro tip: Don’t put a rain garden within 10 feet of your house, because you don’t want water percolating into the ground near your foundation and basement. Also, rain gardens tend to work best in areas with sandy or silty soil that allows the water to seep into the ground.

Popp says rain gardens can be visually striking and attract extra birds and other wildlife to your yard after each rain. 

“You can really become creative with it by putting in some river rock” among the plants, he says.